ITINERARY 2013

This year our date of departure will be 1 January 2013 from Johannesburg airport. If you apply and pay early your air ticket will cost you only R1100 or less.

Keep in mind that the Kalahari Vasbyt is not a tourist outing. It is a tough course where you will be taught many life skills. We strive to choose the perfect environment to set the scene for this learning experience.

1 and 2 January - Warmbaths: Be at the O.R. Tambo Airport at 13:00 or meet us at 16:00 close to Bela Bela (Warmbaths). Our time here will be spent preparing ourselves thoroughly for the challenges ahead, while enjoying the final days of the December holidays. Warmbaths is one of the most popular holiday destinations north of Pretoria.

3 January - Woodlands: On this day we cross the border into the great expanses of Botswana and pass through towns like Selebi-Pikwe en Francistown. We spend the night alongside a dry riverbed in a beautiful campsite.

This is our first chance to really experience nature at close range while we still have the opportunity of enjoying luxuries like swimming pools and hot showers.

4 January - Senyati Safari Camp: Senyati is in the bush close to the Chobe National Park in the North of Botswana. We will use this camp as our base when we travel to Zimbabwe to visit the breathtaking Victoria Falls.

5 January - Victoria Falls: We will go to Victoria Falls by bus and stay over for the night. We will visit the falls and do bungy jumping. The Vasbyt will help you rid yourself of your phobias as we take on the challenge of a 110 m bungi jump early in the day. Bloukrans may be the highest jump, but with its narrow gorge, rushing water and the mist from the falls drifting over you, the Vic Falls bungi jump is unforgettable. Although there was a incident during which a jumper was slightly injured, we are convinced that the new safety measures are more than adequate.

6 January - Vic Falls - Senyati: Still at Victoria Falls with adrenalin pumping from the previous day, we start the day with yet more excitement. The wild waters of the Zambezi are renown among adventurers as one of the greatest white water rafting exprieces, and it is always a highlight of the Vasbyt tour. After our day at the falls we will return to Senyati Safari Camp to enjoy an evening in the bush.

7 January - Senyati to Maduma: We visit the snake park in Kasane to learn more about reptiles. After crossing into Namibia we will travel through Katima Mulilo on the mighty Zambezi to our next destination.

8 January - Maduma: We will spend the next two days on the banks of the Kwando River. The Kwando is an unspoiled area of the Caprivi and our camp is a tranquil haven where the Big 5 are plentiful, but there are no people to disturb us. We stay a full day in the park where we will undertake a game drive and a nature walk.

9 - 10 January - Nguma Island: The Okavango Delta is truly one of the most breathtaking places in the world and Nguma Island one of the most beautiful spots on the banks of the Delta.

We will have an opportunity to go fishing and take a boat trip on the fascinating waterways of the Okavango to explore the western part of the Delta. Birdlife and wildlife abound in this area and although there are not that many elephant or lion here, we will be sure to run into plenty of the big beasts later on our tour.

11 January - Thakadu Camp: We will drive through Ghanzi and head for the Central Kalahari National Park. We will spend a night in the veld at Thakadu Camp on a game farm. In this way we will improve our bush knowledge and veld craft before we reach the real wilderness territory. It will be a night spent under the stars and we will begin to really appreciate the wonder of the celestial bodies.

12 and 13 January - Piper Pan: Our first day in the immense expanses of the largest national park, the Central Kalahari, has arrived. This is without doubt the highpoint of the course. Here is a good opportunity for really close encounters with wildlife. You will also find out what it means to live in harmony with the Creator in creation. Multitudes of herbivores migrate across the great plains of Deception Valley from late December to April. Large prides of lion and other predators follow these migratory herds. At night you will have a shift to stand watch as the rest of the team sleeps. In this way we will learn trust and have a unique experience of the bush at night.

14 January - Deception Pan: A morning to relax among our new found friends of the animal and plant kingdom. In the afternoon the team leaders head out to plan the safest route for our march and ensure that all provisions have been made. The evening is spent preparing ourselves for the long walk lying ahead. We get another opportunity to stand night watch and learn to attune all our senses to gather information about our environment.

15 January - Somewhere: The route march is the pinnacle of all Vasbyt courses and if you are not fit enough or spiritually motivated enough, you will not succeed. Yet there are no superhuman qualities required. Young people who have never taken part in any sport in the past have triumphed in this extreme adventure because they believe in themselves and their ability to endure.

16 January - Khama Rhino Sanctuary: A day of rest after the murderous route march. A time to reflect after the course has been completed while we relax and enjoy a day between the rhino in the park.

17 January - Klein Kariba. The rules are that we must complete our final time test before we spend the evening relaxing in the hot springs. The water slides have been a great favourite in the past even though we should have been off them after midnight.

18 January 2013: Back to Johannesburg airport from where you fly back to Cape Town. Please note that Cape Schools reopen on 19 January.

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